The present invention relates to food processing systems and, more particularly, to transfer mechanisms for use with food processing systems.
In mass processing of food product, the food product is often heated by cooking or blanching the food product in a cooker using a hot heat transfer medium into which the food product is immersed. After cooking or blanching, the food product is either transferred out of the food processing system, or is cooled or chilled by immersing the food product in a cool heat transfer medium so that the food product may be packaged, stored, and/or shipped. It is desirable to transfer the food product between these mediums while minimizing, for example, crossover of the hot heat transfer medium into the cool heat transfer medium. In addition, it is desirable to transfer the food product between processing systems or out of a processing system entirely while minimizing loss or waste of the heat transfer mediums.